Esther

12. beencalled to come before the king these thirty days past.” And Mordekhai was told what Esther had said. 13. Mordekhai sent back reply to Esther - “Do not imagine that you can escape | 14 to the king’s palace from the fate of all the Jews. For if you keep your silence | at this time, relief and salvation will come forth for the Jews from some other | place - but you and your father’s house will be lost forever. And who can say; | could it not be for just such a time as this that you came into royalty?” | | 5 Esther sent back word to Mordekhai - “Go. Gather all the Jews in Shushan, | and fast for me, do not eat and do not drink for three whole days, day or night; I and my maids shall fast also. And so shall I come before the king, in defiance of the law — and if I am lost - I am lost.’ | 17 Then Mordekhai walked on, and did all that Esther had bid him. 51 On the third day, Esther dressed herself in royalty, and came to stand in | the inner courtyard of the king’s palace, facing the palace, while the king sat upon his royal throne in the great hall, facing the palace entrance. 2 And when the king noticed Queen Esther standing in the courtyard, she carried grace in his eyes, and the king extended the golden scepter in his hand towards Esther, and Esther came forward and touched the 3 scepter’s end. And the king said to her, “What brings you, Esther my queen? And what would you ask? Be it even half my kingdom, it shall be yours.” 4 Esther said, “If it so please Your Majesty, may the king come today, with Haman, to the feast that I have prepared for him.” s And the king called out, “Hurry - fetch Haman to carry out Esther's word!” 6 So the king and Haman come to the feast that Esther had prepared. And at that drinking feast, the king said to Esther, “What is your desire, then? It shall be yours. And what would you ask? Be it even half my kingdom, it shall be done.” | 7 So Esther answered and replied, “This is my desire and my request: if 1 am pleasing to the king, and ifit so please the king, to grant what I desire, to give me my request - let the king and Haman come again to the feast that I shall prepare for them. And tomorrow I shall do whatever the king asks.” 9 Haman went out on that day, happy and buoyant of heart. But when he saw Mordekhai at the King’s Gate, and the latter did not stand up and did not 10 tremble in his presence, Haman was filled with rage against Mordekhai. Yet Haman restrained himself until he reached his home, and there he sent for